As a pouring out and applying stopper used in this kind of the constant amount pouring out and applying vessel, the Applicant has already proposed the invention according to JP-U-6-35153.
In this prior art, a combination of a switching unit and an operating unit, which form a measuring chamber and has an opening/closing valve unit assembled at a pouring out mouth and isolates the measuring chamber from a bottle unit by a tight contact of the switching unit against a sealing outer flange at an ascending limit, is tightly and vertically displaceably attached to an attaching unit, which is tightly and immovably attached to the bottle unit and is provided with a stopper unit having the sealing outer flange and a sealing top surface. In a usable state, only an amount of liquid which has been measured to be a suitable amount can be poured out and a wasteful pouring out of the liquid contained is prevented.
The switching unit is attached to the attaching unit in vertically displaceable by putting a threaded tube into threaded engagement with an attaching tube and in inseparable from the attaching unit by the fact that an abutting ridge of the switching unit abuts against a stop ridge of the attaching unit from underside at the ascending limit.
At a descending limit of the switching unit, a lower surface of a valve seat of a valve unit comes into contact with the sealing top surface of the stopper unit, and thereby downward displacement of the valve unit is prevented by the stopper unit in an unused state of the vessel. Therefore, even when an abnormal pressing force is exerted on an upper end of a valve head protruding from the pouring out mouth, the valve unit is not opened, and a closed state of the bottle unit is remained.
In the above-described prior art, the opening/closing valve unit is structured as follows. The valve head is fitted in the pouring out mouth of the operating unit in such a manner that it is vertically movable capable of protruding from the mouth and is provided with vertical grooves notched on its outer circumference surface. A valve seat, which can come into close contact with a lower periphery of the pouring out mouth of the operating unit, is provided at a lower end of the valve head. A plurality of helical elastic elements giving an upward elastic force are connected to the valve seat at their upper ends and to the switching unit at their lower ends.
Therefore, the opening/closing valve unit is assembled in such a manner that about lower half portion of each elastic element is located in the measuring chamber under the compressed condition so as to give an upward elastic force, i.e., under the condition in which each elastic element is vertically pressed and is elastically deformed.
Because a part of capacity of the measuring chamber is occupied by the plurality of elastic elements, an actual capacity of the measuring chamber is varied by a slight change in the form of elastic deformation of these elastic elements. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to correctly square an amount of the actually measured liquid with a predetermined amount.
When the switching unit is assembled to the attaching unit, an abutting ridge disposed around a lower end of an inner circumference surface of the switching unit must be forcibly gotten over a helical ridge and a stop ridge on an outer circumference surface of an attaching tube to be threadedly engaged with the attaching unit. Therefore, there is fear that the above-described ridges may be deformed. Further, there is a problem that if the height of the abutting ridge is made low in order to prevent occurrence of the deformation, an escape-preventing function of the abutting ridge becomes possibly insufficient.
There is another problem that it is impossible to enhance feeling of use by providing at a portion of the abutting ridge of the switching unit a thin sounding piece, which, at the ascending and descending limits of the switching unit, goes over a vertical ridge provided on an outer circumference surface of the attaching unit to generate a click sound.
This is because there is a large possibility that the sounding piece may be broken when it goes over the helical ridge and the stop ridge upon attaching the switching unit to the attaching unit.
There is still another problem. If the threaded engagement of the switching unit to the attaching unit is made tight by rotating the operating unit excessively, the valve seat of the valve unit, which goes down together with the switching unit and the operating unit, is strongly sandwiched between a lower edge of the pouring out mouth of the operating unit and the sealing top surface of the stopper unit. In that case, there was a fear that the valve seat may get deformation or some other damages, and may lose its sealing function.
Moreover, it is not regulated so that a position of attachment of the applying stopper with respect to the bottle unit in the circumferential direction becomes constant. Therefore, even if a display for opening/closing position may be marked on the applying stopper for the convenience of handling, it is almost impossible to exactly position the display with respect to the bottle unit. Accordingly, there is a problem that it is not possible to effectively put into function the pre-marked display of the opening/closing position.
That is, when a front/rear relationship is given to an attitude of the bottle unit by displaying a merchandise name on one side and usage directions on the other side of the bottle unit, there is a need to adapt positions of displays on the applying stopper, such as the opening/closing position display or an action position display, to the front/rear positional relationship of the bottle unit for the convenience of handling and for effective display function. However, unless the positional relationship in the circumferential direction between the bottle unit and the applying stopper is controlled so as to take a fixed position, it is impossible to adapt the displays effected on the applying stopper to the front/rear positional relationship of the bottle unit.
Thus the invention are made to solve these problems found in the above-described prior art. A technical subject matter of the present invention is to get rid of any change in capacity of the measuring chamber, which may be caused by the change in the form of elastic deformation of the opening/closing valve unit, and thereby an object of the invention is to make it always possible for the liquid contained in the bottle unit to be measured and poured out precisely.
Another technical subject matter of the present invention is that assembling of the switching unit to the attaching unit is achieved naturally, safely and firmly and thereby an object of the present invention is to readily obtain a stable and firm assembling and also a favorable feeling for use.
Still another technical subject matter of the present invention is to fix the circumferential position of attachment of the applying stopper with respect to the bottle unit at one fixed position, and thereby an object of the invention is to make effective use of the displays on the applying stopper and to obtain correct and favorable handling of the vessel.